Sam Rivera, Principal Marlene Newman, PTSA President Introduction of Staff

Middle School Reform Initiative PURPOSE: To increase rigor, to increase student engagement & to close the achievement gap. RESOURCES  Lights, Camera, Literacy summer course  AEI /Math Content Coach & AEI/Literacy Coach  Content Specialists and Team Leader positions separated  Professional Learning Communities Institute (PLCI) to build the capacity of all school leaders  Performance Matters (access to data that informs instruction)

 Eighteen classrooms with Promethean Technology  Thirty-two laptops on mobile carts  Ongoing and continuous training for teachers on rigor, the adolescent learner, collaboration & new technologies

 More rigorous electives for sixth grade students: Arts Investigations Information and Communication Technology  Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) Coordinator

Nan P. Iuculano Parent/Community Coordinator

October 4 MSA November 7 Literacy January 3Homework Strategies/Study Skills February 4 Transition to Middle School and High School

March 12 Gang Awareness April 14 Internet Safety May 7 School Improvement

 To improve student achievement in reading, as measured by at least 71.1 % of our students in all subcategories scoring “proficient” or better on the April 2008 MSA.  To improve student achievement in mathematics, as measured by at least 57.2% of our students in all subcategories scoring “proficient” or better on the April 2008 MSA.

 To increase student and stakeholder (parents and staff) satisfaction as measured by the 2008 Survey of School Environment.  For parents, this means increasing and improving our communication.

 Back to School newsletter  PTSA newsletter  Edline; progress reports; interims  School Website  ConnectEd

TEACHER  Concern about your child’s grade/class performance in a specific class  Question regarding homework assignments  Question about an incident that occurred in class

TEAM LEADER  Concern about your child’s performance/behavior in all of his or her classes.  Request for a parent conference with all of your child’s teachers.  Inability to reach a teacher on your child’s team.

GUIDANCE COUNSELOR  Request for work due to your child’s extended absence.  Concern about your child’s schedule.  Concern about your child’s social/emotional adjustment to school. CONTENT SPECIALIST  Concern about the curriculum that could not be resolved with your child’s teacher

GRADE LEVEL ADMINISTRATOR (ASST. PRINCIPAL)  Concern about the handling of a disciplinary infraction, academic matter or incident in class that could not be resolved with the teacher nor the team leader. PRINCIPAL  Concern about any matter that could not be resolved with the teacher, team leader or grade-level administrator (asst. principal).

 Your child’s grades in each class, updated (at least) for each progress report (every 3 wks).  Your child’s missing assignments / homework.  You can elect to be ed every time a teacher updates Edline.  Some teachers choose to upload worksheets, class calendar items.

 For 7 th /8 th graders…username/passwords are the same.  Sixth graders…username/password mailed.  For assistance, contact Mr. Weinshel.

 Thursday, September 20 th : Parent Outdoor Education Meeting  Wednesday, September 26 th : Health Night  Thursday, October 4 th : MSA Parent Academy Meeting  Monday, October 8 th : OPEN HOUSE